Summer’s here, which means that now (or very soon) the kids will be free from the clutches of school for a long stretch of vacation. But there’s no reason that you can’t encourage some independent learning to keep their minds from turning to sludge, especially with a little help from an iPhone or iPad. These 10 fun and engaging iOS apps will expand your kids’ vocabulary and leave them talking like scholars in no time.

As anyone who works with audio for a living can attest to, the human ear frequently plays tricks on the mind. For example, is it really possible to hide secret messages inside music recordings? If all things audible fascinate you, then you’ll love a new iPad app dedicated to demystifying this and other “auditory illusions.” The San Francisco-based Exploratorium recently followed up their debut Color Uncovered app with a new offering called Sound Uncovered. The free iPad-only app is billed as an “interactive book,” which allows the user to participate and learn from all kinds of acoustic phenomena around us that’s equal parts fun and educational.

Every Monday, we'll show you how to do something new and simple with Apple's built-in command line application. You don't need any fancy software, or a knowledge of coding to do any of these. All you need is a keyboard to type 'em out!

Today, we’re going to show you some great resources for new (or experienced) CLI (command line interface) users. These resources can be used to find new commands, or commands that are useful for your specific situation. Continue reading to learn about all of the great command line references available freely online.

Between iOS and the Mac, Apple has some of the most easy-to-use products on the market. However, some users may need more guidance than others, requiring additional resources to learn the ins and outs of their favorite products and operating systems. For these users, we present to you our list of the top five resources for Apple users that are current, and up-to-date for 2013.

If you’ve been a Mac|Life reader for more than a month or three, you know that these few paragraphs normally prattle on about chip design, process technologies, communications protocols, or some other geeky goodness. This month will be different. Let’s talk about learning.

If you have a preschooler, you’re no doubt familiar with Wee Sing, a beloved children’s brand that has taught through music for more than three decades. With more than 60 million books, albums and live-action videos sold, there’s one area the company was absent from -- until today.

Apple has set the stage for a textbook revolution with the new iBooks 2 and free iBooks Author software, but as it turns out, that was only the first of the company’s plans to unveil in New York City today -- Cupertino is also introducing a new iTunes U app for allowing colleges and universities to share their knowledge with the world.

A hectic schedule doesn’t mean your brain has to go hungry -- just let your ears do the reading during your next commute. Audible (audible.com) offers downloadable audiobooks, comedy, and news programs, periodicals, and more for sale individually or in subscriptions starting at $14.95 a month. If you’re on a tight budget, check your local public library’s website. Many libraries now loan downloadable audiobooks playable on your Mac or iOS device.

After making their mark with unique iOS apps using characters licensed from Dreamworks animated feature films, the folks at iStoryTime have teamed with publishing house Esslinger to offer two new “Flip Flap” books which help children learn their ABC’s while having fun doing it.